Ashura Ōtsutsuki
was the younger son of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki and heir to his teachings. He is also the ancestor of both the Senju, and the Uzumaki clans. Background As a child, Ashura lived in the shadow of his genius older brother Indra Ōtsutsuki. Having displayed no natural talent himself, Ashura came to realise the value of others and the power of the friends and allies he made. Eventually, he awakened his own power which equalled Indra's power. On his deathbed, Hagoromo selected Ashura as his successor to carry out his dream of peace and understanding in the world. Indra, believing that he should have been chosen instead as it was his birthright, was manipulated into fighting Ashura. Both brothers died fighting over the title of the successor of Ninshū, but not before having offspring who would continue this feud for centuries to come. Indra's eventual descendants — the Uchiha clan — would feud with Ashura's eventual descendants — the Senju clan. Neither clan knew why or how their hatred of the other came to be.Chapter 462, pages 12-13 Personality Though the son of the famed Sage of the Six Paths, Ashura was born with no talent and thus could not accomplish much on his own. Instead, he valued depending on and cooperating with others. Ashura adored Indra and would constantly devote himself to studying, aiming to be like his older brother.Fourth Databook With the help of his countless friends and allies, and through sheer hard work and determination, he awakened his own power. As he never lost sight of his principles and the love he had for others, he believed love to be the key to peace. This ultimately convinced Hagoromo to anoint Ashura as the successor to his Ninshū as Hagoromo wanted the world to adopt Asura's way of thinking. Appearance Ashura had short, spiky brown hair — two locks of which were wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face in a similar manner to his brother. He possessed stern facial features. He wore what seemed to be a blank forehead protector and at a later time, bandages around his forehead. He wore a light-coloured kimono with magatama adorned around the collar. The kimono was held closed by a dark-coloured sash. Underneath, he wore a black full-body suit. Abilities A late-bloomer, Ashura was originally considered to be unskilled. Over the years, however, through gruelling hard work and dedication, Ashura awakened his own inherited power: his father's "body" — powerful life force and physical energy, granting him power on par with his genius older brother, Indra. He was also a capable leader, obtaining countless loyal followers. It was because of Ashura's philosophy that his father blessed him with his power and made him the successor to Ninshū. Upon being resurrected from Takama-ga-hara, Ashura stated that he had acquired the skill, knowledge, and complete power of every transmigrant. Chakra Prowess and Life Force Naturally, Ashura had massive amounts of potent chakra, estimated as at least four times greater than any ordinary ninja. Its quality was described by Hagoromo to be "bright and warm". Early in his shinobi career, Ashura had very little chakra control, causing him to waste more chakra than necessary, but his natural reserves made up for this flaw. His chakra levels also became so high and potent that he could share it with an entire army, and be felt by others from countries away. After gaining Hagoromo's and the tailed beasts chakra, Ashura's reserves had increased even further. Over time, he learned much greater chakra control, allowing him to not waste chakra unnecessarily, ultimately becoming able to perform hand seals with only a single hand. Ashura also learned how to transfer his chakra, being able to mold it to properly adapt to another person's specific chakra type. Due to his Ōtsutsuki lineage, Ashura possessed a powerful life force and physical energy, giving him an extreme longevity, stamina, and vitality. From this, he could survive the extraction of a tailed beast. His lineage is part of the reason why he could synchronise with all of the tailed beasts' chakra. His life force also grants him considerable regenerative powers that could mend most injuries with no residual effects. This regenerative power enables the user to heal most injuries in moments, reconstructing the damaged tissues making up the human body to its uninjured state. This technique has a continuous, automatic effect that will heal any damage that the user sustains instantly without the need to make hand seals or even a conscious effort to activate the healing process. After descending from Takama-ga-hara to reclaim everything left behind by Indra and himself, Ashura gained unparalleled reserves and strength in chakra, stemming from all of the transmigrants who had inherited Ashura's power. Jinchūriki Transformations Created by Hagoromo, Ashura quickly formed a deep bond with the tailed beasts. Much like his father did, Ashura enjoyed their company and found them interesting. However, everything would change when their father decided to pick Ashura over Indra, making him the new successor to Hagoromo's Ninshū. Indra lashed out at him, declaring only he could be heir to their father's power. Unfortunately, Hagoromo feared Indra might target the tailed beasts in his quest for power and, ultimately decided a temporary vessel would be the best course of action. However, much to Hagoromo's surprise and disbelief, they refused to accept anyone other than the one person Indra hated the most, Ashura. And so, it was decided. From that day forth Ashura, the one who would face Indra's wrath again and again, would become the only person after their father to contain all of the tailed beasts within him. Growing up and spending time with each one Ashura found that he had a special connection with them. Whenever he developed, they too would grow in power, allowing them to effectively work together and share information on how to improve. Ashura's experience with Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, Saiken, Chōmei, Gyūki, Kurama, allowed him to effectively harness the endless depth of chakra they possessed. He could access both Version 1, Version 2, any Partial Transformation, and even invoke Kurama's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Working together and wielding all of their abilities seamlessly, Ashura ended up becoming one of the strongest jinchūriki in history. Ninjutsu Nature Transformation With the power of his father, Ashura became the second person to master all five elemental nature transformations. He also obtained the power of the Yin–Yang release. By using his Yang chakra, the essence of physical energy, along with his with Yin chakra, the essence of spiritual energy, Ashura had the ability to create form from nothingness with a mere thought to bring it to life. He was most famous for his use of Wood Release, a combination of earth and water-natured chakra, creating wood and plants from the ground or his very being of various sizes that he manipulated to his purposes. By offering a certain amount of chakra, Ashura can summon the toads of Mount Myōboku as allies. Ashura could completely change the landscape with his constructs. He also had more ingenious usages such as making wood clones that are nearly indistinguishable from himself. He could make flowering trees whose pollen rendered opponents unconscious, protective structures able to withstand Tailed Beast Balls, giant hands to apprehend large targets, as well as a giant humanoid creature able to clash with Indra's Complete Body — Susanoo. Taijutsu While a short-range fighter by nature, Ashura's taijutsu was not that skilful or organised when he first began practicing, compensating for this with unpredictable attacks to throw combat specialists like Indra off guard. By adulthood , he had significantly improved his taijutsu skills under Hagoromo's tutelage, being able to hold his own against skilled users such as his brother Indra, fellow clansmen, and even his father. Even without his enhancements, Ashura has shown a high level of physical strength, being able to shatter stone. Senjutsu Because of his large chakra reserves, Ashura could use senjutsu and enter Sage Mode, a feat he could perform instantaneously. In this mode, he gains red markings around and under his eyes as well in the middle of his forehead. While it is not known where he learned it, Ashura proved formidable in its usage, riding about on his wood techniques as a means to be mobile in battle while maintaining the stillness of one's self needed to continue building up natural energy to keep this mode activated. His different wood techniques become much stronger while he is in Sage Mode. Later on, Ashura showed off the ability to combine Hashirama Senju and Naruto Uzumaki's respective Sage Modes, allowing him to utilize a plethora of abilities. Six Paths Senjutsu The Six Paths Senjutsu is a heightened form of senjutsu used by the Sage of the Six Paths, those who obtain his power, and the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. The user's physical strength, speed, stamina and regeneration are exponentially increased. The user gains the ability to fly, utilise senjutsu, chakra arms, and multiple Truth-Seeking Balls. The user also gains complete control of all five basic nature transformations and Yin–Yang Release.Fourth Databook, page 310 Commonly, a pattern of Rinnegan and nine tomoe appear on the user's back. Six Paths Sage Mode The is a heightened state of Sage Mode, which drastically empowers the user's abilities to a far greater extent by utilising the Six Paths Sage Chakra. With the power bestowed upon them by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the user has the innate ability to grasp the nature of chakra and comprehend all universal things. In this state, they can also make perfect use of Yin–Yang Release. The user's physical parameters were also bolstered to the point where he could equally compete with the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. Using this power increases his sensory capabilities to the highest possible level, matching that of the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. Legacy Though his body was destroyed, Ashura's chakra would continue to exist. His chakra reincarnated into various individuals throughout history, and his reincarnations would also inherit his will. During the Warring States Period, Hashirama Senju was his reincarnation. Hashirama possessed what the people of Konoha called the Will of Fire, which many people believed in. With the help of Madara Uchiha, the reincarnation of Indra at the time, Hashirama created the very first ninja village, Konohagakure, and helped set up the ninja system. However, Madara would defect, and resumed his conflict with Hashirama. When Hashirama and Madara died, the transmigration cycle resumed. Naruto Uzumaki became the latest inheritor of Asura's chakra and will, with Sasuke Uchiha inheriting Indra's chakra and will. Ashura's ideals enabled his father to realise a new possibility for the world. Hagoromo created the nine Tailed Beasts by using the Creation of All Things Technique to separate the Ten-Tails' chakra. He gave each of them names, in the hopes that when the time came, they would be reunited as a single but different entity, and that at that time, a person would appear who would show them what true power is. When Naruto befriended them centuries later, the beasts came to believe that Naruto was this person. Ultimately, Naruto managed to do what all of the previous reincarnations had failed to do: end the rift between the two lines of the reincarnated brothers. Naruto achieved this after defeating Sasuke, who finally accepted Naruto's ideals at the end of their fight. This brought about the end of the bitter feud that had lasted for centuries. According to Black Zetsu, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura were almost always in conflict with each other and rarely worked together. Naruto and Sasuke are one of the exceptions, assuming other exceptions have existed throughout the centuries. Trivia * The rivalry of Indra and Ashura, and their descendants (Uchiha and Senju), is derived from Hindu and Buddhist religions. The Gods, led by Indra, are in constant battle with the Asuras. * His battle avatar is befitting of his name, as the Ashura are often depicted as belligerent beings with three faces and six arms. The Asura Path is depicted in the same way. * As Ashura believed that love was the key to peace, it is possible that Hashirama Senju's "Will of Fire" evolved from his beliefs. Similarly, his brother's descendants rose to oppose this, inheriting the "Curse of Hatred". * Like his father, Ashura mainly wielded a shakujō in battle. His choice of weapon could represent his desire for love and peace, while his brother's choice of a sword could symbolise his lust for power. * Through the use of shadow clones while using his Tailed Beast Mode and Six Paths Sage Mode, Naruto Uzumaki was able to combine three of the avatars into a single, three-headed, six-armed construct similar to the one Ashura used in the past. References